Woman was held hostage, beaten, raped by landlord, police say

SANDY — A Sandy man was charged Wednesday with kidnapping, beating and raping a woman who recently began renting a room from him.

Now, detectives are investigating whether the man may have lured other women to his house and assaulted them, too.

Vratislav Roger Bilek, 60, was charged in 3rd District Court with aggravated kidnapping, rape and three counts of object rape, all first-degree felonies. He was also charged with drug possession and two counts of aggravated assault, third-degree felonies; and sexual battery, a class A misdemeanor.

A 40-year-old woman told police she met Bilek at the Colonial Hotel in Salt Lake City on Sunday and he offered to rent a room to her in his house, 563 Fruitwood Lane (10805 South), according to a Salt Lake County Jail report.

She told police that Bilek's house "has cameras recording many of the bedrooms and VHS tapes all over. She said that he also had IDs or copies of women's IDs in his room with their addresses," the report states.

The woman told police she and Bilek took methamphetamine, then later got into an argument and she told him she was going to leave.

Bilek told her, "If you go out that door, I'm going to kill you," according to charging documents.

As the argument escalated, Bilek allegedly punched the woman in the face. The woman fought back and hit Bilek in the nose.

During the ensuing struggle, the woman told police that Bilek strangled her, held her face in a bathtub of water in an attempt to drown her, held a gun to her head, sexually assaulted her with a sledgehammer and forced pills down her mouth, according to the charges.

As the woman tried to run down the stairs to get away, Bilek "jumped on her back and 'rode her' down the stairs," the report states.

Bilek threatened to rape and kill her on several occasions, according to prosecutors.

Police say at some point, the woman was able to get out of the house and ran to a neighbor's house where she pounded on the front door and cried for help, the report states. Police were called to the home about 1:50 a.m. on Sept. 1.

When detectives arrived, the woman "had visible injuries" and was taken to Alta View Hospital where medical crews noted a large bruise and lump over her left eye, a bruised and swollen lip and red marks on her neck, according to charging documents.

Detectives who later searched the house found Bilek with fresh injuries, personal objects belonging to the woman, and drops of blood "scattered in various parts of the residence, the report states.

On Aug. 8, Sandy police responded to a similar incident in the same neighborhood involving another woman who had run to a neighbor's house "naked and injured" and pleading for help. She told detectives that "Roger" had offered her a place to stay and then beat her, causing her to lose consciousness multiple times, according to the report.

The woman was taken to a local hospital to be treated for drug impairment, but then walked away from the hospital before detectives had a chance to throughly interview her, said Sandy Police Sgt. Dean Carriger. The woman, believed to be a transient, has not been heard from since.

Police were also trying to find a second woman who neighbors in the area said was found in a similar situation earlier this year. The woman reportedly knocked on a door while naked and asked for help. But for an unknown reason, police were not called and did not interview her, Carriger said.

Investigators say if there are any women who believe they are victims of abuse, they should call police at 801-840-4000.